Why is a Plano couple paying to run hateful anti-gay ads in The El Paso Times?

Sep 2, 2011

Earlier this week we told you about a hateful anti-gay advertisement that appeared recently in the El Paso Times. Turns out the disgusting ad in question was only one of four that ran on consecutive days, with each featuring another homophobic screed from the Rev. Michael Rodriguez of San Juan Bautista Catholic Church. In an article about the ads published Thursday, the El Paso Times reported that they don’t reflect the views of the local Catholic diocese — at least not officially. The EPT also notes that even though he wrote the copy, Rodriguez didn’t pay for the ads. Rather, they were paid for by “a couple from Plano, Texas.” We contacted Rodriguez’s church, where a woman who answered the phone denied that a Plano couple had paid for the ad. She said she would have Rodriguez get back to us, but so far he hasn’t. We also contacted the reporter, Aaron Bracamontes, who said he found out that a Plano couple had paid for the ad from the newspaper’s sales department. Bracamontes declined to give us the name of the couple, saying the newspaper will only identify them if they agree to talk.